4.3 Preview: Tier 13 Set Bonuses

Even more Saturday news--Blizzard released the Tier 13 set bonuses this evening. We're still waiting on visual armor previews for some classes, but it's always fun to start theorycrafting and speculating in advance. Some bonuses like Rogue 2-piece seem predictable based on past set bonuses, while tanking ones like Warrior 4-piece (free 신의 권능: 방벽?) seem problematic--creating "mandatory" set bonuses like raidwalls lead to balancing issues in later tiers.

Zahrym also hinted that 4.3 may be on the PTR as soon as next week--specifically Transmogrification and Void Storage right away. Other content like dungeons, the new legendary, and the Raid Finder will follow at a later time.

While we’ve been previewing the visuals of tier 13 on the front page at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com, we thought you might be interested in the magics that lay imbued betwixt their stitches and plating. Behold -- the tier 13 set bonuses!

Please keep in mind that the below data is pre-PTR and could change prior to the release of patch 4.3.

Death Knight

Blood, 2P -- When an attack drops your health below 35%, one of your Blood Runes will immediately activate and convert into a Death Rune for the next 20 sec. This effect cannot occur more than once every 45 sec.

Blood, 4P -- Your 흡혈 ability also affects all party and raid members for 50% of the effect it has on you.

DPS, 2P -- 불시의 파멸 has a 30% chance and 단단한 얼음 has a 60% chance to grant 2 charges when triggered instead of 1.

DPS, 4P -- 룬 강화 has a 25% chance and 룬 부패 has a 40% chance to also grant 710 mastery rating for 12 sec when activated.

Druid

Balance, 2P -- increases all damage done by your 별빛섬광, 별빛쇄도, and 태양의 격노 spells against that target by 3%.

Feral, 2P -- While is active, absorbs are 100% larger, and your talent now causes 흉포한 이빨 to refresh the duration of your 도려내기 on targets with 60% or less health.

Feral, 4P -- 광포한 재생력 also affects all raid and party members, and your talent now grants two charges after using 야생의 돌진 (Cat).

Restoration, 2P -- After using 정신 자극, the mana cost of your healing spells is reduced by 25% for 15 sec.

Restoration, 4P -- Your 회복 and 재생 spells have a 10% chance to Timeslip and have double the normal duration.

Hunter

2P -- and generate double the amount of focus.

4P -- Your ability has a chance to grant 25% haste to you and your pet for 10 sec.

Mage

2P -- Your damaging spells have a 30% chance to grant Stolen Time, increasing your haste rating by 50 for 30 sec and stacking up to 10 times. When 신비의 마법 강화, , or 얼음 핏줄 expires, all stacks of Stolen Time are lost.

4P -- Each stack of Stolen Time also reduces the cooldown of 신비의 마법 강화 by 3 sec, by 4 sec, and 얼음 핏줄 by 6 sec.

Paladin

Holy, 2P -- After using 응징의 격노, the mana cost of your healing spells is reduced by 25% for 15 sec.

Holy, 4P -- Increases the healing done by your spell by 20%.

Protection, 2P -- Your 심판 ability now also grants a physical absorb shield equal to 30% of the damage it dealt.

Protection, 4P -- Reduces the cooldown of by 60 sec and increases the radius of its effect by 70 yards.

Yes. We're intent on getting the 4.3 Public Test Realms up potentially within the next week. :)

As you mentioned, there's still a lot of work to be done on this patch, so a lot of the content will be rolled onto the test realms over time. Transmogrification, Void Storage, some balance changes, and several UI updates/improvements will likely make the PTR right away. The dungeon/raid content, legendary questline, Dungeon Finder updates, and especially Raid Finder are still very much works in-progress.

댓글

Sallara의 댓글

on 2011-09-24T20:23:47-05:00

Druid feral 4 piece, DK blood 4 piece and warrior prot 4 piece. They seem very useful in raids where the the entire raid is taking huge amounts of damage. Imagine all of these tanks popping the cooldowns at the same time.

Ninjaking47의 댓글

on 2011-09-24T20:28:05-05:00

2nd piece bonus for hunter looks nice but the 4 piece bonus will have to change because SV doesn't use arcane shot i don't know about MM because they have a very tight rotation but for BM this good but i don't see BM hunters raiding much anymore

Richie41291의 댓글

on 2011-09-24T20:32:21-05:00

Is it only me? or did every other class get amazing freaking set bonus other than rogues. Oh well, they get legendary daggers.

rageahol의 댓글

on 2011-09-24T20:44:41-05:00

Looks like the new raid will have lots of AoE damage thrown at the raid, and that they won't be too close together.

Kanariya의 댓글

on 2011-09-24T20:48:25-05:00

Well it's nice to see that is a bit more useful in PvE.

Bakric의 댓글

on 2011-09-24T20:51:03-05:00

Well to be honest the holy paladin bonus (both) seems !@#$ing bullcrap to me. Getting the raid all cramped up to get some nice efficiency outta radiance costs too much in performance so i'd rather preffer getting 6% base mana at holy shocks.

Mosq의 댓글

on 2011-09-24T20:51:49-05:00

I think it's fair to say that Demonology Pets dipping three times from Mastery will be getting fixed in 4.3 with those set bonuses.

Monday의 댓글

on 2011-09-24T20:51:53-05:00

Ret 2 piece is nice, very nice, and the 4piece is just crazy. +12% damage on TV spam? Yes, please.

Grudge3214의 댓글

on 2011-09-24T21:02:34-05:00

So what's happening to masochism with the removal of shadow word:death self damage?

Deepthought의 댓글

on 2011-09-24T21:05:40-05:00

2P -- The duration of your Doomguard and Infernal summons is increased by sec and the cooldown of of those spells is reduced by 4 min. (45 for Demonology, 15 for non-Demonology.) 4P -- Soulburn grants a 10% increase to your spell power for 10 sec.

I'm not sure how to feel about these =/

Yes, Doomgaurd/Infernal need a shorter cooldown, so reducing it to 6 minutes is good (would prefer 5 tho), but that should really be a baseline change, not a set bonus.

As for the four set, ok, nice, a 10% increase to spell power every 45 seconds (assuming we can refresh shards), cool. But it completely cripples Soulburn's other uses. I can't (or at least, am strongly discouraged from) using Soulburn + Healthstone for some extra health (i.e. for Raggy seeds), Soulburn + pet summon (for Demo Felgaurd/Felhunter juggling, general pet death) etc etc, because if I do so I use a large DPS CD without my other CDs, dropping my DPS a bit.

Overall, I think these need some work to be great, but they're "ok" as it is (even if it encourages bad Soulburn usage).

rageahol의 댓글

on 2011-09-24T21:15:50-05:00

So what's happening to masochism with the removal of shadow word:death self damage?

You stick it in your rotation.

hakwea의 댓글

on 2011-09-24T21:18:08-05:00

Yes, Doomgaurd/Infernal need a shorter cooldown, so reducing it to 6 minutes is good (would prefer 5 tho), but that should really be a baseline change, not a set bonus.

I see the cooldown reduction as a "band aid" until they can spend the time to rework how guardian pets and their cool downs work. Something that usually gets saved for expansions. A heroism or potion like system where it is "one per 10 min while alive" or "once per fight" might take more work then is justifiable for an end of expansion patch.

The set bonuses just don't seem like they would make into the game. Affliction gets a +10% spellpower every 45 seconds with and it regenerates a shard. That gives affliction an endless +10% compared to the 3 of the other two specs. The 2 piece just seems to overpowered for demonology giving it like a 2 min doomguard that is super dps.

It just seems way to good without seeing any class changes in patch notes to balance out the set.

rageahol의 댓글

on 2011-09-24T21:18:41-05:00

As for the four set, ok, nice, a 10% increase to spell power every 45 seconds (assuming we can refresh shards), cool. But it completely cripples Soulburn's other uses. I can't (or at least, am strongly discouraged from) using Soulburn + Healthstone for some extra health (i.e. for Raggy seeds), Soulburn + pet summon (for Demo Felgaurd/Felhunter juggling, general pet death) etc etc, because if I do so I use a large DPS CD without my other CDs, dropping my DPS a bit.

I'd assume you'd be using soulburn in combat, so you'd only lose 1.5 sec or less out of the 10sec duration of the soulburn buff.

rageahol의 댓글

on 2011-09-24T21:21:24-05:00

It just seems way to good without seeing any class changes in patch notes to balance out the set.

I guess we would be seeing some class changes soon, if there are any to make, and also, I would think they would design the set bonuses around the classes' abilities and playstyle, and not the other way around.

ffcloud2000의 댓글

on 2011-09-24T21:24:06-05:00

Hmm looks like they are giving us these small tank bonuses similar to what they want to give us with the big tanking overhaul.. Should be interesting

Interest의 댓글

on 2011-09-24T21:26:11-05:00

2nd piece bonus for hunter looks nice but the 4 piece bonus will have to change because SV doesn't use arcane shot i don't know about MM because they have a very tight rotation but for BM this good but i don't see BM hunters raiding much anymore

Uh. I don't know what you're talking about. Survival does use Arcane Shot. It's just a little less than you might think.

Reviewing each set:

Death Knight

Blood, 2P -- When an attack drops your health below 35%, one of your Blood Runes will immediately activate and convert into a Death Rune for the next 20 sec. This effect cannot occur more than once every 45 sec. Blood, 4P -- Your Vampiric Blood ability also affects all party and raid members for 50% of the effect it has on you.

The 2 piece really doesn't seem that good. There's already a talent (Will of the Necropolis) that's better than it. Maybe it could help save DKs by allowing Death Strike for some reason (because you have 1/2 runes)?

The 4 piece effect looks pretty overpowered. That can literally be a lifesaver and probably will make Blood DKs a prime choice to bring to progression runs, especially of the Heroic variety (assuming Blood DKs are viable for tanking next tier).

DPS, 2P -- Sudden Doom has a 30% chance and Rime has a 60% chance to grant 2 charges when triggered instead of 1. DPS, 4P -- Runic Empowerment has a 25% chance and Runic Corruption has a 40% chance to also grant 710 mastery rating for 12 sec when activated.

The 2 piece effect looks pretty good. I don't really need to say much more than that.

The 2 piece effect reminds me of some old talents Balance Druid once had. It pretty much means a static +3% damage for nuke spells.

The 4 piece effect seems like it could go either way. Starsurge has a bit of a cooldown and, in addition, it's only beneficial about half the time. Maybe the instant cast/cooldown reset proc will help even the field (seems it will yield a very strong, quick starting rotation).

Feral, 2P -- While Berserk is active, Savage Defense absorbs are 100% larger, and your Blood in the Water talent now causes Ferocious Bite to refresh the duration of your Rip on targets with 60% or less health. Feral, 4P -- Frenzied Regeneration also affects all raid and party members, and your Stampede talent now grants two charges after using Feral Charge (Cat).

The 2 piece set effect is very strong for Cats and okay for Bears. It gives Bear Druids another "defensive cooldown" per se (although Savage Defense isn't that amazing) and Cat Druids can now pretty much Ferocious Bite (while keeping Savage Roar up) for a much longer time for encounters.

The 4 piece set effect is not too bad. I wonder if the raid receives the healing from Frenzied Regeneration. The Cat part seems a bit...gimmicky to say the least.

Restoration, 2P -- After using Innervate, the mana cost of your healing spells is reduced by 25% for 15 sec. Restoration, 4P -- Your Rejuvenation and Regrowth spells have a 10% chance to Timeslip and have double the normal duration.

The 2 piece set effect is broken as hell. I foresee a nerf incoming rather rapidly for this. I can see PvP Hunters running 2 piece PvE just because of that set effect (although to be fair, it's pretty difficult to get Steady Shot/Cobra Shot off in a PvP situation, especially while focused). Either way, I can see this making Hunters have a permanent spot on the top of the meters for all of Tier 13 unless it's nerfed. (On a separate note, this further increases my dislike for Hunter mechanics being solely reliant on a cast ability.)

The 4 piece set effect is also pretty damn broken as hell. Why can't our PvP 4 piece set effect be something like this? =(. I am glad they will at least make Arcane Shot useful (because the line for MM Hunters between Aimed and Arcane Shot is pretty thin as it is...sort of). I can see a nerf inc for this too, unless the chance is like...1%.

Mage

2P -- Your damaging spells have a 30% chance to grant Stolen Time, increasing your haste rating by 50 for 30 sec and stacking up to 10 times. When Arcane Power, Combustion, or Icy Veins expires, all stacks of Stolen Time are lost. 4P -- Each stack of Stolen Time also reduces the cooldown of Arcane Power by 3 sec, Combustion by 4 sec, and Icy Veins by 6 sec.

The 2 piece set effect is interesting. I feel there may be something missing, but if not, it does augur for an interesting scenario of using cooldowns or not using cooldowns (with just 2P alone)

The 4 piece set effect makes this very interesting. I do feel this may make Mage a little TOO RNGish though.

The 4 piece effect is okay. Can't say much more than that. It does give Holy Paladins a bit more aoe healing though (I wish Light of Dawn worked differently o.0)

Protection, 2P -- Your Judgement ability now also grants a physical absorb shield equal to 30% of the damage it dealt. Protection, 4P -- Reduces the cooldown of Divine Guardian by 60 sec and increases the radius of its effect by 70 yards.

The 2 piece set effect is not too bad. It'll add a bit of variance to the rotation (as if the Ret Paladin rotation didn't have enough). I do find it a bit problematic that Judgement will now proc two things though (both involving Holy Power or the use of it).

The 4 piece set effect is pretty strong. I wonder if it'll stack with Avenging Wrath (apparently damage bonuses such as these (% bonuses) do not stack).

Priest

Healer, 2P -- After using Power Infusion or Lightwell, the mana cost of your healing spells is reduced by 25% for sec. (10 sec for Discipline, 15 for non-Discipline.) Healer, 4P -- Your Power Word: Shield has a 10% chance to absorb 100% additional damage, and the cooldown of your Holy Word abilities is reduced by 20%.

The 4 piece seems interesting. I'm unsure how well that stacks up, but it looks good.

Shadow, 2P -- Shadow Word: Death deals an additional 55% damage, and you no longer take damage from your own Shadow Word: Death when the target fails to die. Shadow, 4P -- Your Shadowfiend and Shadowy Apparitions have a 100% chance to grant you 3 Shadow Orbs each time they deal damage.

The 2 piece set effect is not too bad, but I wonder how that works considering Masochism procs when you suffer damage from your own SW:D...

The 4 piece set effect looks insane, but seems reliant on a cooldown and Shadowy Apparitions actually reaching the target (unlikely on fights where the boss moves a lot).

The 2 piece set effect makes me jealous that Hunters don't get a similar one for Misdirection. It's not like Tricks wasn't a good ability to use already o.0. It's pretty decent in the way it makes Tricks even more of a cooldown to use than before.

The 4 piece seems okay. It means you get to do more stuff or more damage =).

The 4 piece is very strong and will synergizes well with the 2 piece. It also cements Mastery as the strongest secondary stat for Elemental Shaman.

Enhancement, 2P -- While you have any stacks of Maelstrom Weapon, your Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning, and healing spells deal 20% more healing or damage. Enhancement, 4P -- Your Feral Spirits have a 45% chance to grant you a charge of Maelstrom Weapon each time they deal damage.

The 2 piece set effect seems pretty good. Enhancement Shaman will have stacks of Maelstrom Weapon very often (and this also increases the effect of the instant cast as well).

The 4 piece set effect synergizes well with the 2 piece. In addition, it makes Feral Spirits an even stronger cooldown (literally might even get an instant Lightning Bolt every few seconds).

Restoration, 2P -- After using Mana Tide Totem, the cost of your healing spells are reduced by 25% for 15 sec. Restoration, 4P -- Increases the duration of Spiritwalker's Grace by 5 sec, and you gain 30% haste while Spiritwalker's grace is active.

The 2 piece set effect is similar to that of other healer set effects.

The 4 piece set effect seems pretty strong, making Spiritwalker's Grace a cooldown to use not just for the sake of mobile casting.

Warlock

2P -- The duration of your Doomguard and Infernal summons is increased by sec and the cooldown of of those spells is reduced by 4 min. (45 for Demonology, 15 for non-Demonology.) 4P -- Soulburn grants a 10% increase to your spell power for 10 sec.

The 2 piece is okay. It'll probably make Demonology even more powerful.

The 4 piece isn't too bad either, but not exactly strong.

Warrior

Protection, 2P -- Your Revenge ability now also grants a physical absorption shield equal to 20% of the damage done by Revenge. Protection, 4P -- Your Shield Wall ability now grants 50% of its effect to all party and raid members.

The 2 piece, unlike the Protection Paladin equivalent, is extremely strong. Revenge not only hits pretty hard, but is capable of hitting 2 targets. In addition, with the amount of avoidance tanks will have by this tier, it's pretty likely Revenge can be used every time it's up.

The 4 piece is interesting. I wonder if Protection Warriors will now use the glyph as a result.

The 2 piece is interesting. It makes Inner Rage a much stronger cooldown to use.

The 4 piece seems extremely gimmicky.

Monday의 댓글

on 2011-09-24T22:10:19-05:00

The 2 piece set effect is not too bad. It'll add a bit of variance to the rotation (as if the Ret Paladin rotation didn't have enough). I do find it a bit problematic that Judgement will now proc two things though (both involving Holy Power or the use of it).

What, divine purpose? That procs off of a lot of stuff. Although, tbh, this seems like a combination of both the old and new Divine Purpose talents.

The 4 piece set effect is pretty strong. I wonder if it'll stack with Avenging Wrath (apparently damage bonuses such as these (% bonuses) do not stack).

Probably not. It makes us even more bursty though, which is getting old =/

Interest의 댓글

on 2011-09-24T22:20:24-05:00

The 2 piece set effect is not too bad. It'll add a bit of variance to the rotation (as if the Ret Paladin rotation didn't have enough). I do find it a bit problematic that Judgement will now proc two things though (both involving Holy Power or the use of it).

What, divine purpose? That procs off of a lot of stuff. Although, tbh, this seems like a combination of both the old and new Divine Purpose talents.

The 4 piece set effect is pretty strong. I wonder if it'll stack with Avenging Wrath (apparently damage bonuses such as these (% bonuses) do not stack).

Probably not. It makes us even more bursty though, which is getting old =/

Yes exactly.

Monday의 댓글

on 2011-09-24T22:22:38-05:00

Aye. I kind of like it, because our Holy Power gain right now is still rather limited. Giving Judgement a 50% proc chance eases that up a bit, even if it does proc two different abilities.

Deepthought의 댓글

on 2011-09-24T22:44:34-05:00

I'd assume you'd be using soulburn in combat, so you'd only lose 1.5 sec or less out of the 10sec duration of the soulburn buff.

And if I have to use it in one of my previous examples (i.e. pet summon, healthstone use), I can't time it with my other CDs/procs.For instance, my Warlock, self buffed (so just Fel Armor, in all honesty) has 7793 spellpower (8572 with the 10% bonus). With all of my procs + my trinket, that comes to 11948 spellpower (13142 with 10% bonus). That's a difference of 4570 spell power, even more in a raid setting with buffs/potion.

Now, obviously, I'm not only going to be using this 10% bonus when all of my procs and my trinket are up (although I will try to line them up at the start of the fight), because they all have different CDs and that would be stupid. But the fact remains that I might want to try and line this up with some of them, and thus I will have to choose between utility and noticeable difference in damage.